When the Seattle Mariners visit Yankee Stadium next weekend, their bullpen coach will be familiar with the city. He is Mike Hampton, the former Mets left-hander who lifted the team to the 2000 World Series with shutout pitching in the National League Championship Series.
“Man, that’s my favorite memory of playing,” Hampton said this spring. “The stadium, the city. I always tell people there’s no worse place to fail and there’s no better place to succeed than New York. If you do well, the city will embrace you and love you. That was the greatest year of my career.